Joe Christensen covered Major League Baseball for 15 years, including three seasons at the Baltimore Sun and eight at the Star Tribune, before switching to the college football beat. He’s a Faribault, Minn., native who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 1996. He covered Jim Wacker’s Gophers for the Minnesota Daily and also wrote about USC, UCLA and the Rose Bowl for the Riverside Press-Enterprise before getting this chance to cover football again.

Gophers tight end Duke Anyanwu suffers apparent right knee injury

Gophers tight end Duke Anyanwu suffered an apparent right knee injury Saturday in the team’s second practice.

Anyanwu went over the middle in an 11-on-11 drill and fell to the ground, trying to catch a pass from Chris Streveler. Anyanwu was in obvious pain and had to be helped off the field by the team’s trainers.

Coach Jerry Kill declined to comment on the injury but said of Anyanwu, “Great kid. Ain’t none better than Duke. Great kid.”

Anyanwu played quarterback at Blaine High School and converted to tight end with the Gophers. He torn an ACL during captain’s practice in 2012 – not sure if it was the same knee – and took that year as a redshirt. UPDATE: I'm told it was his other knee that time, so that's definitely good news.

Anyanwu broke a forearm during spring practice in 2013 and was limited to one game, on special teams, last fall. But Kill called Anyanwu one of the team’s most improved players this year during spring practice.

Anyanwu led the team with three receptions in the spring game, and quarterback Mitch Leidner raved about the speed Anyanwu has shown during summer workouts. Leidner and other players looked visibly shaken watching Anyanwu being taken off the field today.

Kill's wife, Rebecca, was among those who went over to comfort Anyanwu through his dismay.